Indian airports hits a snag: Scarcity of slots

The Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) airport in Kolkata which has 58 parking bays, now has a total of 53 aircraft parked inside.

Soumyadip Mullick | Kolkata | March 27, 2020 5:00 pm

The Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) airport in Kolkata which has 58 parking bays, now has a total of 53 aircraft parked inside. (Representation image: AFP)

With suspension of all international and domestic passenger flight services in India, due to the corona virus outbreak, some Indian airports are reeling under shortage of aircraft parking space.

The Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) airport in Kolkata which has 58 parking bays, now has a total of 53 aircraft parked inside. The outbreak has already dealt a massive blow to the Indian aviation industry and now some airports in the country are reeling under space crunch for aircraft parking.

Due to suspension of both domestic and international flights in India, many airlines have their aircraft grounded at several airports in the country. It recently came to light that the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport in Delhi is reportedly running out of space for aircraft parking and has hence made space in its remote bay area and hangars for the purpose.

The Kolkata airport though at present has space for parking but it is only a matter of time when the space runs out. A senior official in the Kolkata airport administration, today, told The Statesman, “At present, there are 53 parked aircraft in the Kolkata airport. The NSCBI airport has a total of 58 parking bays.”

Asked whether it already is witnessing paucity of space, the senior official pointed out, “For now, there is no space crunch since there is no flight operation at the airport. Only medical flights are operating, which are one or two at a time. We still have vacant space for parking aircraft.”

An airport official confirmed that 10 more parking bays are being made at the Kolkata airport which are expected to open by next year. It is learnt that more than 500 flights a week remain cancelled in India. Airlines such as Air India have reportedly grounded a large portion of its fleet while GoAir, Vistara and others have also followed suit.

The Indian ministry of civil aviation had issued travel advisories suspending all international and domestic passenger flight services till 31 March but it could get extended since the country is now in a 21 day lockdown, till 14 April.